


And the Calamitous Clowns

by Struckk



Series: And the Adventures that Could Happen [2]
Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Clowns, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-28
Updated: 2015-03-17
Packaged: 2018-03-15 16:54:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3454688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Struckk/pseuds/Struckk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Librarians investigate reports of mysterious clowns that have been taunting a city's children. The only problem is that these clowns are invisible to anyone who isn't a kid. The sequel to And the Rogue Unicorn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Return of the Clowns

**Author's Note:**

> This is the sequel to And the Rogue Unicorn. For the most part this should still be readable as a standalone story, so don't feel it necessary to go back and read AtRU if you don't want to. But the Jake and Cassandra arc from that first story is picked up right where it left off, so if you want to fully understand what's going on there I would read AtRU first.
> 
> Also, just to be safe I'm going to include a trigger warning for this first chapter. There is a very brief hint of child molesters. The information dump in this chapter is based on something that actually happened, and I considered not including that part, but it was a snarky Jones comment waiting to happen. I don't think it's enough to actually warrant the use of the archive warnings, but I'll mention it here in case anyone has concerns.

Jake rolled over and punched the snooze button on his alarm one final time. He knew that he needed to get up, but he just wasn’t ready to face the day.

It was Monday morning, and normally by this time he would be in the annex, enjoying his morning coffee while getting lost in various art history books and portfolios. Cassandra would be there with him, listening patiently as he explained everything he loved about whatever artist he was studying that day.

Cassandra. Jake couldn’t help but smile at the thought of her, even though she was the reason he couldn’t bear to get out of bed that morning. He hadn’t seen her since late Friday night, after they had successfully reunited the unicorn colt with its mama. When they had returned to the annex Jake had finally come clean with her, admitting his true feelings, but somehow still keeping her at arms’ length. How could he be so stupid?

His alarm went off again, and this time Jake had no choice but to turn it off and drag himself out of bed. He had left himself just barely enough time to get ready and get to the annex on time. Jake hated to be rushed in the morning, but at least now he had a distraction from his thoughts.

It only took him a few minutes to get ready and fill his travel mug. He wouldn’t have time to stop at his favourite coffee shop that morning so he would have to settle for the stuff from home. Before long he was driving down the road in his old pick up truck, the local country station playing loud enough to tune his brain out.

Jake arrived at the annex ten minutes later than he should have, but he didn’t really care. To be honest, he wasn’t sure who had originally come up with this set schedule since the cases had a tendency to pop up randomly, no matter what day or time it was. Jake had a feeling their schedule had more to do with Baird wanting to have an excuse to make sure Jones showed up every day. And besides, after months of practically living in the annex, showing up hours earlier than expected and staying hours later, Jake knew that Baird wouldn’t hold it against him if he was late just this once.

A part of Jake wanted to linger in his truck for a bit, he wanted to avoid going into the annex and seeing Cassandra again. He wasn’t sure if things would be awkward between them now. Would she treat him differently after he had all but confessed his love for her before casting her aside again? At the time it seemed like she felt the same way. She had said she would wait for him, that she would wait until he felt ready for a relationship, until he felt like he deserved her. But what if she had just been caught up in the moment? Maybe she had changed her mind after having some time to think about it. Jake certainly wouldn’t blame her if she had.

Knowing he couldn’t put things off any longer, Jake sighed and climbed out of his truck. The walk to the annex doors, through the hallway and into the main room seemed to take forever, but in reality only a minute had passed since he first parked his truck.

“I just don’t see the case here,” the first thing Jake heard when he entered the room was Ezekiel, arguing with the rest of the team. That seemed about right.

“Mr. Stone, so happy you could join us,” Jenkins was the first to spot him. Everyone was gathered around the clippings book, confused looks on their faces as they tried to make sense of whatever had appeared that morning. At the sound of Jenkins’ greeting Jake noticed Cassandra glance up and offer him a shy smile. He smiled back as he joined them.

“Sorry, I uh, I slept in,” Jake mumbled as he reached them. A small part of him wanted to avoid Cassandra, to pretend that he hadn’t poured his heart out to her the other night. But the part of him that wanted to be there to catch her if she fell won over and he took a spot behind her, his chin almost resting on her shoulder as he leaned in to read the clippings book. “New case? What is it this time?”

“It’s nothing,” Ezekiel assured. “I don’t understand what the big deal is.”

“The big deal is that it appeared in the clippings book,” Baird argued. “The Library obviously thinks there’s something here, therefore we check it out.”

Jake quickly skimmed over the articles that had appeared, his eyes growing more wide has he read. He was too distracted to notice Cassandra watching him out of the corner of her eye, smiling as she tried to make sense of the look on his face.

Finally Jake backed away a step and looked at Jenkins, hoping the older man could provide some insight. “I’m sorry...what?” he motioned at the book.

“It’s the phantom clowns,” Jenkins spoke dryly and shrugged, as if everyone should have known that this was going to happen. “They’re back.”

“Back?” Jake asked in shock. “This has happened before?” Jenkins nodded.

“You’re telling me that there are clowns out there, that they’re targeting kids, that only kids can see these clowns…” Jake gestured wildly. “And that this isn’t even news to you!?”

“The first known sighting of these clowns was in Boston back in 1981,” Jenkins sighed, sounding slightly annoyed that no one was able to keep up with him. “Police had responded to several complaints. Many of these clowns were driving black vans and trying to lure children to them with candy. Some of the reports described the clowns as naked from the waist down.”

“Well this isn’t remotely creepy,” Jones interrupted sarcastically. “How do we know they weren’t just some weirdo freaks with a perverted fetish?”

“Because, Mr. Jones,” Jenkins continued. “these complaints soon spread throughout the country. Remember this was the early 80’s, long before your little interconnected web thing made sharing news like this possible. And each time, children were the only ones who could see both the clowns or the black vans.”

“And like Baird said,” Cassandra cut in. “It’s in the clippings book. The Library obviously senses that something is up here.”

“Why clowns, though?” Jake asked, more to himself than to anyone in the room. “Why does it have to be clowns?”

“Funny you should mention that, Mr. Stone, because there were actually a few reports of other costumed phantoms as well. Someone in a gorilla suit for one. One child even reported trying to be lured away by Spiderman. But clowns were much more common.”

“Well my childhood is officially ruined,” Ezekiel huffed.

“The clowns have never actually hurt anyone, though,” Cassandra mentioned, turning to Jenkins. “What is it that they want exactly?” The older man just shrugged.

“So you expect us to fight off a bunch of... _clowns_. Whose intentions are unknown to us. And that none of us can see?” Baird clarified, her voice a mixture of amusement and annoyance. Jenkins nodded at that. “And how do you expect us to do that?”

“Well I suppose you can start by doing research on the first time the clowns attacked, assuming you can do that quietly,” Jenkins started. “And you can head to the town where the attacks have started happening and ask around, see what people are saying. I’m a big fan of that plan, or really anything that gets you guys out of my annex.”

“No, research sounds good,” Baird said. “We should try and find _some_ concrete information about what we’re up against.”

The colonel headed over to her desk and sat down with her laptop in front of her. The LiTs looked from her to each other, realizing that this meant they were to hit the books. Without a word Ezekiel headed off upstairs (Jake was pretty sure that the thief wasn’t actually planning to do any actual research). Jake was about to follow him when Cassandra spoke up.

“Hey, are you okay?” she asked.

“What? Yeah...o-of course I’m okay Cassie,” Jake was caught off guard by the question. He hoped she wasn’t planning on bringing up their previous conversation.

“Are you sure? Because I saw your face when you were reading the clippings book,” she eyed him cautiously. “You got a little tense there.”

“Oh, that?” Jake smiled, realizing what Cassie was getting at. “Yeah, that. Uh...I guess you could say I’m not the biggest fan of uh, clowns.”

Cassandra giggled. “I’m sorry, Jake. I just never expected you to be afraid of clowns. I mean, you went head to head with a minotaur of all things, but clowns are what freak you out?”

“Hey!” Jake spoke with mock annoyance. “Keep your voice down, I don’t want Jones to find out. And I’m not _afraid_ of clowns. I just don’t like ‘em!”

“Sure thing, cowboy,” Cassandra was still laughing. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.” She then headed off in the same direction Ezekiel had gone a few minutes earlier. Jake watched her walk away for a second before following her up the stairs, an overwhelming mixture of feelings going through his head.

On the one hand, he realized he had agonized over seeing Cassie again for nothing. Jake should have realized that no matter what happened between them, Cassandra would always be there for him, just as he would always be there for her. The two of them were connected, and no matter what happened between them, no matter how confusing or complicated it was, that connection would always be there. Jake knew that now.

But on the other hand, their latest case dealt with clowns. Phantom clowns. And even though he was determined not to fully admit it, especially not to Cassandra and Ezekiel, Jake was deathly afraid of clowns.


	2. Research

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was not expecting to have this much fun scaring poor Jake. Oh man, this could get interesting. Don't be surprised if this story ends up becoming 10% plot and 90% increasingly amusing ways to scare Jake.

Jake sat on the floor deep in the stacks of the second floor of the annex, his back resting against the bookshelves and his feet stretched out in front of him. He had a small pile of books sitting next to him and another one resting closed in his lap.

“Here goes nothin’,” he took a deep breath and braced himself as he slowly opened the book to a random page, only to slam it shut when it revealed a graphic, full page drawing of a sinister looking clown. The sound of giggling caused him to jump slightly. When Jake looked up he saw Cassandra standing there, watching him.

“You think that’s funny, do you?” Jake scoffed, though he couldn’t help but smile. Cassandra just looked so cute as she tried, unsuccessfully, not to laugh at him.

“Just a little bit,” she answered, taking a seat beside him.

“I just don’t understand why all these books have to have pictures in them,” Jake gestured at the pile of books on the floor. “Disturbing pictures, too!”

“Here, try this one,” she handed him a book that she had brought over herself, trading it for the one he had just closed. “I already skimmed it, there aren’t any pictures.”

“Thanks,” he grunted as he opened the new book. “You find anything useful yet?”

“Not really,” Cassandra sighed as she opened up the book she had taken from Jake, careful to hold it on an angle that wouldn’t reveal the pictures to him. “At least nothing that points to magic. A lot of sick people seem to like to dress up as clowns as a method to lure kids to them, but adults can still see those clowns, so it really doesn’t help us.”

“Ha, yeah. I never understood that one. I mean, maybe I’m biased but there are a lot of kids afraid of clowns. It’s a pretty common fear,” Jake chuckled. “They’d have better luck with the Spiderman costume. Hell, they’d have better luck with the gorilla costume!”

“Why _are_ you afraid of clowns, Jake?” Cassandra asked softly. “I mean, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“There’s no real reason,” Jake shrugged. “I guess I just watched too many horror movies as a kid. The clown thing just kinda stuck.”

“I guess I should be glad my parents didn’t let me watch many movies, then,” there was a sadness in her voice that she hadn’t intended.

“I don’t know about that. Not that it’s any fun, but it’s good to get freaked out a bit as a kid,” Jake looked over at Cassie, the weight of what she had just said finally dawning on him. “They really didn’t let you watch many movies?”

“Nope,” Cassandra shook her head. “Not really. A few classics here and there. We would watch It’s A Wonderful Life every Christmas Eve.” she smiled to herself at that memory. “No TV, either. Unless you count the hour of educational programing I was allowed every day.”

“Educational TV? Ouch,” Jake made a face. “Definitely doesn’t count.”

“Though I would sneak in some corny sitcoms when they weren’t around. Small Wonder, The Facts of Life, Doogie Howser…” she recalled.

“You know,” Jake smirked. “you might have been better off with the educational crap.”

“Hey!” Cassandra made a face and playfully hit Jake in the arm with the book she was holding. “I liked them.”

“I’m just saying, you missed out on some of the greatest shows of that era,” Jake said. “The Dukes of Hazzard, Simon & Simon, B.J. and the Bear…”

“I’m sorry, what?” Cassandra cut in, wrinkling her nose in confusion. “What sort of show was that?”

“B.J. and the Bear?” Jake laughed. “Oh it was great! It was about this trucker and his pet monkey.”

“Okay, but where does the bear fit in?”

“There is no bear, darlin’,” Jake corrected, chuckling to himself. “The monkey’s name was Bear.”

“Wow. That was an actual show?” Cassandra asked. “No wonder my parents didn’t want me watching TV.”

“Ahem,” Their conversation interrupted, Jake and Cassandra looked at each other, wondering where the sound was coming from. “Up here, nitwits.” They turned their heads to find Ezekiel perched on the top of the bookshelf they had their backs against.

“The hell you doin’, Jones?” Jake snapped. “How long have you been up there?”

“Long enough to know you’re afraid of clowns,” Ezekiel smiled his signature cheeky grin.

Jake could hear Cassandra giggling again, and the last thing he wanted was for her to see Jones show him up. “I’m not _afraid_ of clowns! I just don’t like ‘em!”

“Sure thing, mate. Keep telling yourself that.”

“Have you at least been doing anything useful?” Jake was glad to see Cassandra had stopped giggling and was now helping him interrogate Jones. “I mean, besides spying on us?”

“Sure! I’ve done a whole lot more than you guys. Look,” the young thief reached into his hoodie pocket and pulled out his phone. Gently, he tossed it down to the other two and Jake caught it with ease.

“This better be--DAMMIT JONES!” Jake quickly turned his head away and shoved the phone into Cassandra’s hands. The screen had revealed an Instagram account full of pictures of creepy clowns.

“Oh yeah, you’re right,” Ezekiel burst out laughing. “You’re definitely not afraid of clowns.”

At least Cassandra wasn’t laughing this time. Instead she browsed through the collection of photos, her head shaking. “Jones, these are just pictures of the same person dressed up as a clown. It even says in the description that they did this for a photo project.” She tossed the phone back up to him.

“You don’t say?” Ezekiel smiled. “I guess I scared Stone here for nothing.” Then, without another word, he dropped off the other side of the shelf, disappearing silently and swiftly. Jake made a mental note to pay more attention to where Jones was in the room, the kid could sneak in and out of places without anyone noticing if you weren’t careful.

“He’s not wrong. We _should_ be researching,” Cassandra said, turning her attention back to the book she still held. Jake sighed, but nodded in agreement. He returned to flipping through the pages of his book.

“Hey, here’s something,” Jake said after a few minutes. “The Harlequin. It says here that it’s an androgynous creature with a white face, long limbs, and dark eyes.” he shuddered. “Says they’re usually only visible to kids under six years or so.”

“It fits,” Cassandra nodded. “Does it say anything else?”

“Nothing useful. Apparently children who’ve seen them say they smell like summer rain,” Jake skimmed his finger along the page as he read. “And despite being creepy as hell, they don’t appear to have ever harmed anyone.”

“Well, so far it’s the best lead we’ve got,” Cassandra said, standing up. “Let’s go tell Baird.”

Jake started to follow Cassie to the stairs when suddenly she stopped and turned to him. “Uh, you might want to wait here a second,” she said, peering over the railing to the first floor.

“Wha...why?” he started to make his way to the railing but she held out an arm to push him away.

“Ezekiel, no!” Cassandra called down. “Put it away.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jones’ voice came from the first floor.

“Come on, Jones. Be nice.”

Curiosity getting the better of him, Jake gently pushed Cassandra’s arm aside and stepped up beside her. He looked down to see Ezekiel had placed a giant clown doll in his chair.

“Dammit, Jones!” he shouted, turning his head away. “This is getting real old, real fast.”

“What, this?” Jake heard Jones call up to him. “I thought it was cute. Not my fault if you don’t agree.”

Jake sighed and looked over at Cassandra, who shrugged and rolled her eyes. “I tried to warn you,” she said with a sheepish smile.

“I swear, that kid has too much time on his hands.” Jake turned back around and saw that both Jones and the doll were gone. Baird must have told him off. “Where did he even get that thing, anyways?”

“I think that’s something we’re better off not knowing. Come on, we need to tell Baird what we learned.” Cassandra grabbed Jake’s arm and tugged him away from the railing and down the stairs.

“What did you guys find out?” Baird asked when she saw the two Librarians coming her way.

Out of nowhere, they heard Ezekiel’s voice pop up. “Stone’s afraid of clowns!”

“I’m gettin’ real tired of that kid,” Jake grumbled as Cassandra awkwardly patted his shoulder.

“Just ignore him,” Baird said, sounding exasperated.

Jake muttered something under his breath that the two women couldn’t quite make out, though they were pretty sure they were better off not hearing it anyways. Instead, Cassandra turned her attention to filling Baird in with what they had found out.

“That does fit the case,” Baird nodded in agreement. “Still no idea how to defeat these things, though?” Cassandra and Jake shook their heads in unison.

“Still, it’s a start. I say we set the globe and go check out this town,” the Colonel continued. “Who knows what we’ll discover there.”

Just then Ezekiel came running back in, empty handed this time.

“We’re going to clown town?” he asked eagerly. “You know, it sure is a shame that adults can’t see these things because I would love to see Stone’s face if he saw a real live evil clown.”

“Jones, I swear, you keep talking like that and--” Jake began to threaten the young thief but Baird cut him off.

“Enough! Seriously guys, what are you? Children?”

“Well if Jake’s a child, that means he’ll be able to see--” Baird shot Jones a look so sharp that even he knew well enough not to finish his sentence. He immediately shut his mouth and mimicked zipping it shut.

“That’s better,” Baird said, turning her attention to the globe. She managed to get the coordinates set properly and opened the magic door. Before he could start with his teasing again, she grabbed Jones’ arm and dragged him through the portal with her, leaving Jake and Cassandra alone in the annex.

“You ready?” Cassandra asked Jake in a sweet, earnest tone.

He shook his head. “Not in the least.” Then, before he had time to second guess himself, he wrapped his hand around Cassandra’s and the two of them stepped through into the small town on the other side of the door.


	3. Hurray for the Brain Grape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who has been reading this story so far. It means a lot to me! And thanks to those who take the time to leave reviews. Your comments always make my day. ^.^

Jake and Cassandra stumbled through the portal and found themselves standing with Baird and Jones in a small alleyway, having come out the back door of some store. They took a brief moment to take in their surroundings. Jake’s eyes eventually landed on Jones, who was eyeing Jake and Cassandra’s joined hands, an amused look on the thief’s face. Not even realizing he was still holding Cassie’s hand, Jake quickly released it while shooting Jones a dirty look. 

“Come on, guys,” Baird had her back to the team and was oblivious to what was going on behind her. “We won’t learn anything standing back here.” The LiTs followed their Guardian out of the alley and came out onto a busy street downtown.

“I say we get something to eat first,” Ezekiel said, eyeing all the restaurants around them. “Though I suppose with Stone here that means McDonald’s is off limits.”

Under normal circumstances Jake would have done something to show Jones how annoyed he was with his behaviour. At the very least he would have shot the younger man a dirty look. This time, however, Jake barely even heard Ezekiel’s insult. He was too distracted by Cassandra, who was wincing in pain, her hand resting on her forehead.

“Cassie?” Jake asked sympathetically. “Cassie, darlin’? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she forced a smile and nodded slightly. “It’s just a headache. I’ve had worse, but you never really get used to them.”

Baird and Jones overheard the exchange and came closer, worried looks on their faces.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe you should go back to the annex?” Baird took the words right out of Jake’s mouth. He had wanted to suggest Cassandra go back to the annex, but he knew better. Sure enough…

“I’m fine,” the redhead snapped at Baird. “It’s just a headache. I’m not going anywhere.”

The colonel gave her a once over and decided not to push the subject. She didn’t say anything more, just nodded and walked off, assuming her charges would follow.

“So what exactly are we looking for?” Ezekiel asked as he walked quickly to catch up to Baird. Jake and Cassandra trailed a little more slowly behind them, Jake keeping a close watch on the redhead out of the corner of his eye.

“Anything out of the ordinary,” Baird said as she looked all around, studying the people she saw. “Pay close attention to the kids, since they’re the ones who can see these things.”

“Do we know the names of any of the kids who have seen them?” Jake called from behind. “It would help to get a first hand account of what the clowns look like.”

Baird stopped so that she could turn and face the Librarians. Ezekiel, unfortunately, had been walking a bit too close and ended up crashing right into the Guardian. He ignored her annoyed glare and just smiled extra wide as he took a step back, falling into place with Jake and Cassandra.

“That’s a good idea. I wrote the names down here-” Baird reached into her pocket, her attention turned to finding the paper she had written the names on.

It was then that Jake notice Cassandra wince again, her hand shooting to her head. He reached out and placed a supporting arm around her waist. “Cassie are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. It’s just-” her other hand went to her nose when she realized it was bleeding. “Oh, that hasn’t happened in awhile.”

“Uh, guys?” Ezekiel seemed oblivious to what was happening with Cassie, his eyes focused on something happening across the street. “You might want to-”

“Not now, Jones!” Jake snapped as he pulled a tissue from his pocket with his free hand. He had learned to keep a few on hand whenever he was around Cassandra, just in case. “Here,” he said as he handed it to her. She took it with an apologetic smile.

“You guys really should-” Ezekiel tried again, but once again Jake shushed him, the cowboy’s full attention on Cassandra.

“Maybe I should take you back to the annex?” Jake suggested. He hated to be the one to bring it up, he knew Cassie didn’t like to be treated like she was weak, like she was helpless. But Jake also hated to see her suffering like this.

“No really, I’m fine,” Cassandra spoke to Jake much more softly than she had when she snapped at Baird earlier. “My head only hurt for a few seconds, actually. I mean it still hurts, but now it’s more like a dull ache.”

“GUYS!” Jones raised his voice, hoping that for once someone would listen to him. 

“What is it, Jones?” Baird had finally found the paper she was looking for and turned her attention to the young thief, hoping she could quiet him.

“Pay close attention to the kids, you said?” Ezekiel said in a mocking tone. “You guys are always on my case for goofing off, but when something actually happens, I’m the only one doing what they were told!”

“The hell are you talkin’ about?” Jake asked, frustrated.

“Did you guys see any cars drive by recently?” Ezekiel asked, and the other three just shook their heads. “Yeah, me neither. But that kid over there,” he pointed to a young boy across the street. The boy was sitting on a bike, his feet planted firmly on the ground, a look of confusion on his face. “just looked as though he was watching something very creepy drive past him.”

“Didn’t Jenkins say that the first time these clowns appeared, they were reported driving around in black vans?” Cassandra ask, stuffing the bloody tissue in her pocket. Her nose had stopped bleeding right around the time her headache disappeared.

Without another word the team crossed the street and made their way to the boy. Jake was the first to reach him and crouched down so that he was at the same level as the kid. The other three stood just a step behind.

“Hey there, are you okay?” Jake asked the boy. The kid looked a little shaken up, but he nodded. “You saw them, didn’t you?”

The boy turned his head and looked Jake in the eye, cautiously studying his face. “Who are you people?” he asked finally.

“Uh, well…” Jake glanced behind him at his colleagues, unsure whether he should tell the truth or not. Though, he was unable to think on his feet, and the truth actually tended to work most of the time. “We’re the Librarians.”

The boy didn’t say anything right away, but nodded his acceptance as if that explanation cleared everything up. After a minute he took a deep breath and started talking.

“It was those clowns again. Grown ups don’t believe us, they think we’re just trying to get attention, but they’re real!”

“We believe you,” Cassandra said softly. “And we’re going to help get to the bottom of this.”

“What’s your name?” Jake asked.

“Zack. How are you going to help? Can you see the clowns too?”

“No,” Jake shook his head. “but it’s kind of our job to figure this sort of thing out. Can you tell me what these clowns look like?”

“I don’t know, like clowns?” Zack struggled. “Just like ordinary clowns. They’re all different. Most of them have their faces painted white, but they all wear different clown wigs. They just look like clowns, like the kind you’d see at a circus.”

Jake exchanged glances with the rest of his team. The description that Zack was giving didn’t match that of the Harlequin, he wondered if they had clued into that as well. Baird must of, because she asked the next question.

“Zack, how old are you?”

“Ten. I know, I’m too old for kid stuff like being wigged out by clowns but it’s creepy, okay?” Jones smirked, hoping that Jake had noticed that the ten year old considered himself too old for a fear of clowns. If Jake had noticed, he didn’t show it. Instead he stood back up and ushered the others a few feet away. 

“It doesn’t add up,” he said with a shake of his head.

“He’s still pretty young. When the book said that kids six and under could see the Harlequin, it was probably a generalization,” Cassandra suggested. “It’s possible some older kids can see them as well.”

“I don’t think so,” Baird sided with Jake. “Even the physical description didn’t match what the book said.”

“So now what, we’re right back at square one?” Jones chimed in. 

“Well, we do have one advantage we didn’t know we had before,” Cassandra said with a smile. “My headache started as soon as we got to town, and it got worse when Ezekiel first noticed Zack. It only lasted a few seconds, though. About as long as it would take for a-”

“A car to drive by,” Jake finished her sentence for her. “Your brain was trying to tell us something was up.”

“Hurray for the brain grape,” Ezekiel said with a huge smile. Jake glared at him and Cassandra just rolled her eyes. She had grown used to the nickname Jones had given her tumor long ago and even though she wasn’t overly fond of it, it was easier to just let the subject drop.

“I don’t know if I like this,” Baird sounded worried. “Using you like this, Cassandra. Won’t it jeopardize your health?”

“I’ll be fine, Baird. Please,” the redhead pleaded with her. “If you’re just going to coddle me then there’s really no reason for me to be a Librarian. Just let me help.”

“Cassie’s right, Baird. And besides, so far she’s our only shot at catching these things,” Jake defended. The Guardian sighed, but nodded in agreement.

Jake walked away from the group and crouched down next to Zack again. “Hey bud, do you know anyone else who has seen these clowns around?”

“Yeah,” Zack nodded. “All the kids have. They drive around all day, and they like to hang out in the park. Or, any place kids are, I guess.”

“Do they talk to you? Do they try and hurt you guys?”

“They call out to us, yeah. But they’re pretty creepy. We try and stay away from them and as far as I know, they’ve never chased after anyone. No one’s been hurt.”

“Zack, I’m going to give you my number,” Jake pulled out a pen and started to scribble his cell number on the boy’s arm. “If something happens, or if you hear of anything, or if you just feel scared, I want you to call me, okay? Any time, day or night.”

“Yeah, okay,” Zack agreed. Jake made his way back to the team while the boy turned and pedaled off to wherever he had been going before the clowns drove by.

“Sounds like we should check out the park,” Jake suggested, after he repeated what he had just learned to the others.

With nothing else to go on, the team headed off to find the park. Jake made sure to stay close to Cassie just in case, and kept a close watch on her from the corner of his eye. He knew they needed her, and he knew she wanted to help, but his heart just ached thinking about the things she had to go through in order to do everything she needed to do. Cassandra was the strongest member of their team, whether the others saw that or not, and Jake couldn’t help but feel honored that he got to work alongside her.


	4. The Schoolyard

The park proved easy enough to find. There were enough signs around town pointing the team in the right direction. Unfortunately, when they got there they found the park almost completely empty, not a child in sight.

“It looks like a scene in a zombie movie,” Ezekiel spoke with a bit too much enthusiasm. “Where do you think the kids are?”

“With creepy ass clowns hanging around? I wouldn’t want to hang out here, either.” Jake answered.

“But the clowns aren’t here,” Cassandra gestured to her head. “Headache’s no worse, and my nose isn’t bleeding.”

“No, of course not,” Jake shook his head. “Zack told me they usually see the clowns in places where kids tend to hang out. If the kids stopped coming here because the clowns were scaring them, then the clowns would stop coming here because there aren’t any kids.”

“Well that was easy,” Jones said with a grin. “Just tell the kids to stay inside for awhile and eventually the clowns will get bored and leave.”

“Where else do kids like to hang out?” Baird asked, ignoring Ezekiel’s previous statement.

“Arcade?” Ezekiel suggested. At the same time, Cassandra had her own theory.

“School?” Everyone turned and gave her a strange look. “I mean, in the playground, or the parking lot?”

“Cassandra’s right,” Jake agreed. “When I was a kid my buddies and I loved to hang out at school in the summer. The parking lot was huge, perfect for ridin’ our bikes around.”

Baird nodded. “We should split up, cover more ground that way.”

“Awesome. Stone and I can check out the arcade,” Ezekiel offered. “And if there’s time, lots of kids like to hang out at McDonald’s,” he added with a wink.

Jake gave Baird a desperate, pleading look. He knew that if he was forced to spend the day alone with Jones he was going to end up punching the younger man. Under normal circumstances the thief was tolerable. But his constant string of clown jokes made him unbearable.

“Nice try, Jones, but for your safety and Stone’s sanity, I think it’s best if you and I stick together,” the Guardian came to Jake’s rescue, though she didn’t sound very impressed. “We’ll check out the arcade, Stone and Cassandra the school.”

“But seriously, kids _do_ like to hang out at McDonald’s,” Ezekiel whined as Baird dragged him off. Jake couldn’t help but chuckle, and Cassandra let out a giggle as they watched the pair leave.

“Would you stop it with McDonald’s?” they heard Baird snap at him. “We’ll get something to eat, just quit your whining.”

“I should probably feel guilty that it’s because of me Baird is stuck with him,” Jake said with a shake of his head. “But I don’t.”

“Oh, she’ll be okay,” Cassandra said with a smile, watching their two teammates disappear around the corner. “She probably has better methods of disposing a body than you do.”

Jake raised his eyebrows at Cassandra and once again couldn’t stop the chuckle that escaped his lips. “I suppose we should start looking for the school. It can’t be too far from here.”

“We passed school crossing signs on our way here, but we never passed a school,” Cassandra started. “So we must be headed in the right direction.” She started to walk away but Jake reached out and gently tugged her arm causing her to stop and turn to him.

“Before we go I just...can you promise me something?” Jake asked hesitantly.

“That depends on what it is,” Cassie answered, a little worried about what Jake might have in mind.

“I uh, I just want you to be careful…” he spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. “I want you to promise me that you’ll tell me if this,” Jake reached up and brushed his thumb across the side of her forehead where her tumour lay, “gets to be too much. I know you can handle yourself, Cassie. But I want you to promise me that you’ll take care of yourself.”

He expected her to be annoyed with him. He expected her to argue. He expected her to give him the silent treatment for the rest of the day. What he didn’t expect was for her to smile, to take his hand in her own, and to nod.

“What? Just like that?” he asked her, both the happiness and the shock evident in his voice. “You promise?”

“Yes, Jake, I can promise that,” she squeezed his hand comfortingly. “Ever since I was diagnosed, people have been treating me like I could break at any moment. Or worse, they treat me like I’m already dead. My parents, my teachers, even Baird, they all have good intentions but they take away my say in things. I never get an opinion.” Tears were beginning to form in her eyes and Jake reached forward with his free hand and gently brushed them away. “But you... I mean you worry about me, you care It’s sweet. But it’s so much more than that. You respect me. You understand that I’m still here, I can still make decisions for myself. So yes, Jake. I can promise you that because I know that when you ask me something like that, it comes from the heart. It doesn’t come from a place of obligation. And I know that you trust me enough to make the call myself when things get to be too much.”

Jake didn’t know what to say. He had never been good at expressing his emotions, especially where Cassie was concerned. He wanted to let her know just how touched he was by her words. He wanted to tell her how awful he felt that she had had to endure people treating her like that for so long. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and hold her for as long as it would take to make up for all the crap she had endured throughout her life.

Instead he offered her a shy smile, squeezed her hand tight, refusing to let go, and led her in the direction of the school.

They right in that it wasn’t far and that they were headed in the right direction. The pair only had to walk a couple of blocks before the school came into sight. They weren’t quite there yet when they heard the sounds of children screaming. After exchanging worried glances at each other, they took off, following the sound to the school parking lot.

They got there in time to see several kids ranging in age from about eight to eleven take off on their bikes, pedalling as fast as they could. The screaming had stopped but none of the kids looked very happy. Only two people remained once the other kids had scattered. Jake recognized Zack immediately. He was there with an older boy around fifteen.

“How’s your head?” Jake whispered to Cassie as they approached the two boys.

“Surprisingly fine,” Cassandra answered. “Whatever scared those kids, it wasn’t the clowns.”

They had reached them now. Jake could tell that Zack didn’t look too happy, but the older boy seemed very please about something. There was a smug smile on his face that Jake would have loved to punch if the boy was older.

“Hey there, Zack. Remember us?” Jake asked. “Who’s your friend?”

“You’re the Librarians,” Zack nodded. “This is my brother, Tyler.”

“Those kids back there didn’t look too happy,” Jake looked at Tyler, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

“So what if I do?” the teen smirked. “What are you going to do? Revoke my library card?”

“No. No I uh…” Jake hesitated, not sure what to say to Tyler. “I was just curious what had them so upset.”

“Tyler told them a story,” Zack piped up. “The clown story. He’s been telling everyone.”

“You mean he’s been telling them about the clowns that have been hanging around the town?” Cassandra asked.

“What, don’t tell me you guys believe the clowns are real,” Tyler laughed. “Oh, that’s hilarious! I mean it’s one thing for kids to believe it, but you guys are adults!”

Jake and Cassandra looked at Zack for some clarification.

“Tyler was working at a summer camp. Ever since he got back he’s been terrorizing us with these stupid stories he heard while he was there,” the young boy explained.

“Wait...was this before or after you guys started to see the clowns around town?” Jake asked.

“Before, I guess. Tyler got back a month ago. The clowns didn’t show up until another couple weeks after.”

Jake and Cassandra exchanged glances once again, just in time for both of Cassandra’s hands to shoot up to her head as the pain started back up.

“Cassie!” Jake caught her as she collapsed into him. She wasn’t unconscious, thankfully. Just weak. Without giving it a second thought he once again handed her a tissue for her nose, though he had returned his attention to Zack. “They’re here right now, aren’t they?”

Zack had been focused on the scene in front of him, but at Jake’s question the boy’s eyes went wide with fright and he instantly started looking around. “Over there!” he exclaimed after a few seconds, pointing to what had been behind him before.

“How many?” Jake asked, his arms still wrapped around Cassandra. She had regained her balance a bit and was probably fine to stand on her own, but Jake wasn’t risking it.

“Five. They’re waving at us. One of them is motioning for us…” Zack paused for a second. “No, not all of us. Just me. He’s motioning for me to go over there.”

“Zack,” Cassandra managed to get out, though her voice was strained from the pain. “Do the clowns have pants on?” Jake gave her a second look, trying not to laugh. Though the pain was obvious in her tone, she had managed to say that very light heartedly as one would expect from Cassie.

“What!?” the young boy turned away from the clowns and looked at Cassandra with confusion. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Uh, actually we kind of do need to know that,” Jake shook his head at himself. He couldn’t believe his job sometimes.

“Yes. They’re all wearing pants,” Zack said, a little amused that such information was necessary.

Tyler had been laughing during the entire exchange, very much amused that two adults were taking his little story so seriously. “You guys are all nuts! I gotta go,” the boy smirked, hopping onto his bike. “Be home in time for supper, Zack. I ain’t covering for you again!” He rode off, leaving his brother alone with Jake and Cassandra.

“How close are they?” Jake had been holding off asking that because he wasn’t sure he really wanted to know.

“Close. Closer than I’ve ever seen them,” Zack started, and Jake made a face meant to encourage a more detailed answer. “Most of them are back farther, by the building. But there’s one...like two school busses away from us, if that.”

Jake mumbled a curse under his breath, hoping the kid couldn’t hear him. “You said they’ve never harmed anyone, right?” Zack nodded. “Have they ever followed you guys?”

“They don’t chase after us, but sometimes I think they follow me home,” the boy was edging his way closer to the Librarians, and Jake could tell he was scared. “They watch me, you know? I can see them from the windows.”

Jake sighed. He knew he couldn’t just abandon the kid, but all he really wanted to do was scoop Cassandra up and run like hell back to the annex. Instead he did his best to remain calm for the sake of Zack. “Cassie darlin’? Can you walk?” Cassandra nodded. “Okay, we are gettin’ the hell out of here. Zack, lead the way back to your house.”

Fortunately for Jake, Zack’s house was in the same direction as the door back to the annex. The boy rode ahead on his bike, Jake guiding Cassandra a few feet behind. Every other minute Zack would check behind them and let the Librarians know that the clowns were still there, though Jake and Cassie both already knew. It wasn’t until they reached Zack’s house that the redhead’s headache minimized and they knew that they had lost the clowns.

“They’re slow, but they’ll catch up,” Zack said as he tossed his bike aside onto the front lawn. “I’ll be safe inside but you guys should probably get out of here.”

Jake nodded his thanks as he grabbed Cassandra’s arm and took off towards the door to the annex.

“Jake!” Cassie called out as she desperately tried to keep up with him. She never realized how quickly Jake could run, and if he didn’t either slow down or let go of her then pretty soon he would be literally dragging her behind him. “Jake, wait!”

He slowed down and glanced over his shoulder at her, though he never came to a complete stop. “What is it? You heard the kid, they’ll catch up to us!” Cassandra managed to get her arm back and was able to stop to catch her breath. Not willing to leave her, Jake was forced to wait, though he was obviously on edge. “Cassie!” he all but whined.”

“Jake, why are we running? I’m pretty sure Zack just meant we shouldn’t stay and hang out outside his house. I don’t think they’re actually chasing us.”

“But they’re still _coming_!” Jake said, his voice going a little too high at the end of his sentence.

“Jake!” Cassandra couldn’t help but laugh. “We’re running from clowns that have never hurt anyone. For all we know they got bored following us and went somewhere else.”

“Yeah but…” Jake thought desperately for an excuse to keep moving, but unfortunately only one word popped into his head. “ _clowns_!”

Cassandra just shook her head, unable to wipe the smile off her face. “You’re just lucky Jones isn’t here to see you like this. Come on.” This time it was her turn to grab his arm, but she refused to run anymore. Stunned by her sudden control of the situation, Jake let Cassandra lead him at a more appropriate pace back to the alleyway they had started in and through the magic door.


	5. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to everyone who has been reading this story, especially those who have taken the time to leave reviews on it. It means a lot to me! I struggled a bit to get this chapter to go in the direction I needed it to go, which is why it took a bit longer to get up. Sorry about that.

Jake found himself stumbling through the portal door, almost tripping over Cassandra in the process. She finally released his arm once he had regained his balance and the cowboy found himself subconsciously rubbing the spot her fingers had held onto him, the warmth of her hand never leaving him.

“Just the two of you, I see?” Jenkins spoke dryly as he barely even made an effort to glance in their direction. His attention quickly returned to the large, leatherbound book in front of him as he continued. “Let me guess, you left Colonel Baird to bail the other one out of jail? It was only a matter of time, I suppose.”

At the mention of the others, Cassandra glanced nervously at Jake. “Maybe we should go back for them?”

Jake found himself subconsciously nodding, though he really didn’t want to go back. At least not so soon. “Yeah, in a bit. I’m sure they’re fine, we should see what Jenkins thinks, first.”

“Ah yes, let’s see what Jenkins thinks,” the old man spoke loudly, his face still buried in the book. “It’s not like Jenkins doesn’t have his own work to do. You know, there used to be a time when Librarians had to do their own work. I wasn’t around to bail them out.”

“What are you working on, Mr. Jenkins?” Cassandra asked sweetly as she moved to stand over his shoulder, trying to see what he was reading. The book was handwritten, more like a journal or a notebook, though it was quite large. The penmanship was messy, and Cassandra squinted as she tried to make it out, unsure how anyone could read it easily.

“I’m still trying to get a handle on what Dulaque might be planning next,” Jenkins closed the book with a sigh. “but I’m not really getting anywhere with it. I suppose it wouldn’t kill me to take a break. What have you guys come up with?”

“We’re pretty sure they’re not harlequins,” Jake answered as he crossed the room to stand with the other two.

“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Jenkins said matter of factly. “No, although there’s nothing concrete, most of the legends report the harlequin as a single being. There certainly could be more than one, but if there is, they still seem to travel alone. Not to mention they’re usually only spotted at night. No, these clowns are travelling in packs, and are seen at all hours, day or night.”

“I don’t suppose you could have said something earlier?” Jake asked sarcastically. Jenkins just shrugged.

“The clowns didn’t start to appear until after this older boy started scaring all the kids in town with a story he heard at camp,” Cassandra cut in. “Could that mean anything?”

“Story? What story?” Jenkins asked, suddenly interested in what the two Librarians had to say.

Jake and Cassandra exchanged unsure glances before turning back to Jenkins. “We didn’t think to ask. Something about clowns,” Jake answered.

“You didn’t _think_ to ask!?” the older man berated. “No, of course not. How dare we expect Librarians to think.” Jenkins’ face soften when he saw how taken aback Cassandra looked. Jake just looked amused.

“Is it important?” The cowboy asked in a brash, mocking tone. As much as he respected the older man, he struggled to take Jenkins seriously when he got in one of his moods.

Jenkins just sighed, desperately trying to recollect his patience. “How long did it take for the clowns to manifest?” His voice was quieter this time.

“About two weeks,” Cassandra answered.

“Well, the good news is that the Libris Fabula is still safe and sound here in the annex, so we can rule that out,” Jenkins thought out loud. “But I need to know just how reality is reflecting this story.”

“Do you at least have any theories?” Jake asked.

Jenkins nodded. “I do, and if I’m right, the boy who started this whole mess might could be in serious danger.”

Just then the portal door started rattling and seconds later Baird and Jones stumbled through. The young thief took one look at Jake and smirked.

“Couldn’t take it anymore, I see. Had to get away from the clowns?” he teased. Jake just glared at him.

“But really, though. How did things go for you two?” Baird got down to business.

“It was…” Jake reached his arm up and scratched the back of his head to give himself a few extra seconds to think. “uneventful.”

“We did run into Zack’s brother, though,” Cassandra started. “Turns out he’s been terrorizing the neighbourhood kids with-”

“That scary clown story?” Jones cut her off. “Yeah, we heard it, too.”

“ _You_ heard the story?” Jenkins asked, not able to hide his amusement.

“Well, there wasn’t much to hear. He’s basically retelling the story you told us, about the first time the clowns appeared,” Jones said, his arms crossed as he studied the looks on the others’ faces. “Why is everyone looking at me like that?”

“I just never thought I’d see the day when you, Mr. Jones, were more thorough than these two,” Jenkins motioned to Jake and Cassandra, who were both looking anywhere but at Ezekiel, who had a huge grin on his face.

“Why are you so surprised? I’m awesome!” Jones beamed. “You guys should really have caught on to that by now. Remember when I disabled the labyrinth?” Cassandra glared at him. “With help from Cassandra, of course. And remember when I saved you guys from the Libris Fabula? Remember when I was arbiter for the conclave? Jenkins wanted to bail on that one, but not me.” By this point everyone was rolling their eyes, but the young thief was on a roll. “Remember when I reunited that unicorn colt with its mother?”

“Yeah, I actually remember that one differently, thank you very much,” Jake cut in, putting an end to Jones’ speech. “So Jenkins, you said you had a theory?”

“Yes, and now I’m even more certain,” the older man said with a nod. “I suspect what we’re actually dealing with are tulpas.”

“Tulpa? That’s Tibetan, right? The old Buddhist folklore of a magical creature created by nothing more than sheer thought?” Jake was suddenly interested in the case. Clowns weren’t something he could handle. This, on the other hand.

“Oh, it’s certainly more than folklore, Mr. Stone. Tulpas are very powerful and even when they’re innocently created, they can prove very dangerous,” Jenkins warned.

“How can a thought be dangerous?” Ezekiel asked. “You said it yourself, the clowns aren’t hurting anyone.”

“Because, Mr. Jones, if given enough attention a tulpa takes on a presence of its own. It becomes it’s own entity. It becomes real.” Jenkins tone was so serious that even Ezekiel found himself a little creeped out.

“So how do we kill them?” Baird asked, her attention always on the mission at hand.

“If caught early enough, you can stop a tulpa simply by ignoring it-”

“That’s what I said!” Jones shouted excitedly, obliviously to the annoyed look Jenkins was giving him after being cut off. “You guys really should listen to me more often. Like I keep saying, I’m awesome!”

“As I was saying,” Jenkins spoke sternly, quieting the thief. “tulpas _can_ be destroyed before they’re fully created simply by ignoring them. But in this case, I fear it may be too late for that. With all those children focusing on these clowns, it’s a wonder things haven’t gotten out of hand already. After all, what’s a better focus than a child’s imagination?”

“I’m sorry, but I still don’t see the danger here?” Ezekiel asked. “First you’re saying that we’re dealing with thoughtforms. And now you’re saying that we’ve waited too long, that these thoughtforms are becoming real. Either way, it either doesn’t exist, or it’s a clown. What’s so scary about either one? Er, sorry Stone.” Jake rolled his eyes at that last comment.

“Not _just_ clowns, Mr. Jones,” Jenkins corrected. “Granted, there isn’t much concrete information on the subject, but it is believed that once fully formed, most tulpas go on to destroy their creator.”

“That would explain why they followed us back to Zack’s house!” Cassandra exclaimed a little too excitedly. Everyone turned to look at her and she immediately calmed down. “They weren’t after Zack, they were after Tyler.”

“But if they’re fully formed, how do we get rid of them? Aren’t they just normal clowns?” Jake asked, unable to believe he had used the words “just” and “clowns” together in one sentence.

“They’ll never be normal clowns,” Jenkins shook his head. “No, these were originally imagined as and thus created to be evil beings. As to how to destroy them…” he drifted off into thought for a minute before finishing his sentence. “Again, there’s no concrete evidence, but one thing that seems to be consistent in all the lore...fire. You need to burn the clowns.”

“As much as I’d love to get behind that, how do we go about burning them? We can’t even see them. We have no idea how many there are,” Jake was pacing back and forth, beginning to get ancy as he tried to think.

“I haven’t the slightest clue,” Jenkins said matter of factly. The team waited to hear if he had anything of value to add, but the old man simply remained silent.

“Well that’s great. Real helpful, Jenkins,” Baird shook her head. “What are we supposed to do, herd them into a gasoline soaked building and throw a match at it?”

“That’s exactly what we do,” Jake stopped dead in his tracks, smiling as he remembered something. “There was an old shed at the park, set back a ways. Didn’t look like it was used much, and even if it is, it’s just a shed. The town can live without it.”

“But we can’t _see_ them. How will we know if we got them all?” asked Baird.

“We won’t,” Jake shrugged. “But we have to try. We have Cassandra, and I bet we can enlist Zack’s help, too. After all, we’re going to need his brother.”

“Oh no,” Baird frowned, realizing what Jake was getting at. “You’re not suggesting what I think you’re suggesting.”

“You got a better idea, Baird?” Jake asked. “Because you heard Jenkins, we ain’t got a lot of time here and this is the best idea I got.”

Everyone was quiet for a moment, contemplating what had to be done. They were all in silent agreement that Jake’s plan the best they were going to come up with, but no one really wanted to be the first to say so. It was Cassandra who finally broke the silence.

“There’s just one thing that’s going to be tricky,” she said solemnly. Everyone eyed her, wondering what she meant. “Tyler is not going to be willing to cooperate.”

Jak smirked, but his smile quickly turned to a frown when he realized that Cassandra was right. As crazy as this whole situation was, as insane as his plan was, the hardest part was going to be getting the teenaged boy to play bait. He thought they were insane enough as it was. This wasn’t going to be easy.


End file.
